Local Voice MCP

Give your MCP clients the ability to speak by running local voice models using Chatterbox Turbo TTS or Kokoro TTS.

Quickstart

The package includes a high-quality female reference voice that's used by default with Chatterbox Turbo TTS. All environment variables are optional.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "local-voice-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@codecraftersllc/local-voice-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "USE_MALE_VOICE": "false",
        "CHATTERBOX_MAX_CHARACTERS": "2000",
        "CHATTERBOX_PLAYBACK_VOLUME": "75"
      }
    }
  }
}

TTS Engine Selection

Local Voice MCP supports two TTS engines:

Chatterbox Turbo TTS (Default)

High-quality voice synthesis with voice cloning support and paralinguistic tags. Automatically detects and uses the optimal backend for your hardware.

• ✅ Cross-platform support (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• ✅ Voice cloning with reference audio
• ✅ Paralinguistic tags for expressive speech ([laugh], [sigh], [cough], etc.)
• ✅ Multi-architecture auto-detection:
  • Apple Silicon (MPS): Uses MLX with mlx-community/chatterbox-turbo-6bit
  • NVIDIA GPU (CUDA): Uses PyTorch with ChatterboxTurboTTS
  • CPU: Uses PyTorch fallback
• ✅ Smaller model (350M params) with lower latency

Kokoro TTS (Cross-Platform)

High-quality open-source TTS using ONNX runtime with multi-language and multi-voice support.

• ✅ Cross-platform (macOS, Windows, Linux)
• ✅ Multiple languages (en-us, en-gb, fr-fr, it, ja, cmn)
• ✅ 40+ voices with gender and accent options
• ✅ Voice blending capability
• ✅ Adjustable speech speed
• ✅ GPU support
• ✅ Long-form content (no length limitations)
• ✅ Automatic dependency and model installation (nothing to install manually!)

To use Kokoro, set the TTS_ENGINE environment variable:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "local-voice-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@codecraftersllc/local-voice-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "TTS_ENGINE": "kokoro",
        "KOKORO_LANGUAGE": "en-us",
        "KOKORO_VOICE": "af_sarah",
        "KOKORO_SPEED": "1.0"
      }
    }
  }
}

Setup:

Kokoro TTS automatically installs Python dependencies and downloads model files (~100MB) on first use. Just configure the MCP server and you're ready to go!

What Happens on First Use:

• Python packages (kokoro-onnx, soundfile, numpy) are automatically installed via pip
• Model files (kokoro-v1.0.onnx ~90MB, voices-v1.0.bin ~13MB) are automatically downloaded
• Files are cached in ~/.cache/kokoro-tts/ for future use
• This one-time setup takes ~1-2 minutes depending on your internet connection

Manual Installation (Optional):

If you prefer to install dependencies manually or if automatic installation fails:

# Install Python dependencies
pip install kokoro-onnx soundfile numpy

# Model files will still auto-download, or you can download manually:
cd ~/.cache/kokoro-tts
wget https://github.com/nazdridoy/kokoro-tts/releases/download/v1.0.0/kokoro-v1.0.onnx
wget https://github.com/nazdridoy/kokoro-tts/releases/download/v1.0.0/voices-v1.0.bin

Available Voices:

• 🇺🇸 American English: af_alloy, af_bella, af_sarah, af_nova, am_adam, am_michael, am_eric, and more
• 🇬🇧 British English: bf_emma, bf_isabella, bm_george, bm_lewis, and more
• 🇫🇷 French: ff_siwis
• 🇮🇹 Italian: if_sara, im_nicola
• 🇯🇵 Japanese: jf_alpha, jm_kumo, and more
• 🇨🇳 Chinese: zf_xiaobei, zm_yunjian, and more

Voice Blending: Kokoro supports blending multiple voices for unique voice characteristics:

# 60-40 mix of two voices
KOKORO_VOICE="af_sarah:60,am_adam:40"

# Equal blend (50-50)
KOKORO_VOICE="am_adam,af_sarah"

Features

• MCP Server Implementation: Full Model Context Protocol server using @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
• HTTP API: ElevenLabs-compatible REST API for direct integration
• Text-to-Speech Synthesis: High-quality voice synthesis using Chatterbox Turbo TTS
• Voice Cloning: Support for reference audio for voice cloning
• Paralinguistic Tags: Add expressive elements like [laugh], [sigh], [cough] directly in text
• Multi-Architecture Support: Auto-detects and uses optimal backend (MLX for Apple Silicon, CUDA for NVIDIA, CPU fallback)
• Volume Control: Configurable audio playback volume with cross-platform support
• Robust File Management: Automatic cleanup of temporary audio files
• Security: Path validation and sanitization to prevent directory traversal
• Dual Mode Operation: Run as MCP server or HTTP server

Installation

From npm (Recommended)

npm install -g local-voice-mcp

From Source

git clone <repository-url>
cd local-voice-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Usage

MCP Server Mode (Default)

Run as an MCP server with stdio transport:

local-voice-mcp-server

Or using npx:

npx local-voice-mcp-server

HTTP Server Mode

Run as an HTTP server:

MCP_MODE=http local-voice-mcp-server

Or set the port:

PORT=3000 MCP_MODE=http local-voice-mcp-server

Development

# Run MCP server in development
npm run dev:mcp

# Run HTTP server in development
npm run dev:http

# Run tests
npm test

# Build project
npm run build

MCP Tools

When running in MCP mode, the following tools are available:

synthesize_text

Converts text to speech and returns audio data using the configured TTS engine.

Common Parameters:

• text (string, required): Text to synthesize

Chatterbox Turbo-Specific Parameters:

• referenceAudio (string, optional): Path to reference audio for voice cloning

Note: Chatterbox Turbo uses paralinguistic tags directly in text instead of prosody parameters. Include tags like [laugh], [sigh], [cough], [chuckle], [gasp], [groan], [clear throat], [sniff], [shush] in your text for expressive speech.

Kokoro-Specific Parameters:

• speed (number, optional): Speech speed (0.5-2.0, default: 1.0)
• language (string, optional): Language code (e.g., 'en-us', 'en-gb', 'fr-fr', 'ja', 'cmn', default: 'en-us')
• voice (string, optional): Voice name (e.g., 'af_sarah', 'am_adam', 'bf_emma', default: 'af_sarah')
• model_path (string, optional): Path to Kokoro ONNX model file
• voices_path (string, optional): Path to Kokoro voices bin file

Returns:

• JSON response with synthesis status and file path

Example Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Speech synthesis completed successfully",
  "audioFile": "/tmp/local-voice-mcp/audio_20240115_103000_abc123.wav",
  "textLength": 25,
  "audioFormat": "wav",
  "engine": "chatterbox",
  "engineName": "chatterbox",
  "options": {},
  "generatedAt": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
}

The audio file is saved to the temporary directory and can be played using any audio player or accessed programmatically.

play_audio

Play an audio file using the system's default audio player with optional volume control.

Parameters:

• audioFile (string, required): Path to the audio file to play
• volume (number, optional): Playback volume as percentage (0-100). If not specified, uses CHATTERBOX_PLAYBACK_VOLUME environment variable or default of 50.

Supported Formats:

• WAV files (.wav)
• MP3 files (.mp3)

Returns:

• JSON response with playback status and system information

Example Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Successfully played audio file: /tmp/local-voice-mcp/audio_123.wav",
  "audioFile": "/tmp/local-voice-mcp/audio_123.wav",
  "volume": 50,
  "platform": "darwin",
  "command": "afplay -v 0.5 /tmp/local-voice-mcp/audio_123.wav",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Platform Support:

• Cross-platform: Prefers ffplay (from ffmpeg) for consistent volume control across all platforms
• macOS: Falls back to afplay command with -v volume flag
• Windows: Falls back to PowerShell with MediaPlayer and volume control
• Linux: Falls back to mpg123 (MP3) with gain control or aplay (WAV, no volume control)

tts_status

Returns the current status of the TTS service.

Parameters: None

Returns:

• JSON response with service status and capabilities

Example Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "status": "operational",
  "message": "TTS service is ready and operational",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
  "service": {
    "name": "Chatterbox TTS",
    "version": "0.1.0",
    "capabilities": [
      "text-to-speech synthesis",
      "voice cloning with reference audio",
      "prosody controls"
    ]
  }
}

MCP Resources

service-info

Provides information about the Local Voice MCP service.

URI: local-voice://service-info

HTTP API

When running in HTTP mode, the server exposes:

POST /tts

ElevenLabs-compatible text-to-speech endpoint.

Headers:

• X-API-Key: API key (placeholder for authentication)
• Content-Type: application/json

Request Body:

{
  "text": "[sigh] Hello, world! [laugh] This is great!",
  "options": {
    "referenceAudio": "path/to/reference.wav"
  }
}

Response:

• Content-Type: audio/wav
• Binary audio data

Configuration

Environment Variables

Server Configuration

• PORT: HTTP server port (default: 59125)
• MCP_MODE: Operation mode - "mcp" or "http" (default: "mcp")

TTS Engine Selection

• TTS_ENGINE: TTS engine to use - "chatterbox", "kani-mlx", or "kokoro" (default: "chatterbox")

Chatterbox Turbo TTS Configuration

These environment variables can be used to set default values for Chatterbox Turbo TTS synthesis. They will be used if not overridden by options passed to the synthesize method:

• PYTHON_PATH: Path to Python interpreter (default: "python3"). Important: If using Apple Silicon with Python 3.13+, point this to a conda environment with Python 3.11-3.12 where mlx-audio is installed.
• CHATTERBOX_REFERENCE_AUDIO: Path to reference audio file for voice cloning (can be anywhere on your system, supports .wav, .mp3, .flac, .ogg, .m4a, .aac). If not specified, uses the bundled high-quality female reference voice.
• USE_MALE_VOICE: Use male voice instead of bundled female reference voice (true/false, default: false). When set to true, uses the default Chatterbox male voice instead of the bundled female voice. This only applies when no custom reference audio is specified.
• CHATTERBOX_MAX_CHARACTERS: Maximum number of characters allowed for text input (integer, default: 2000)
• CHATTERBOX_OUTPUT_DIR: Output directory for generated audio files (default: system temp + "local-voice-mcp")
• CHATTERBOX_PLAYBACK_VOLUME: Default audio playback volume as percentage (integer, 0-100, default: 50)

Paralinguistic Tags: Instead of prosody controls, use paralinguistic tags directly in your text: [laugh], [sigh], [cough], [chuckle], [gasp], [groan], [clear throat], [sniff], [shush]

Example: "[sigh] I can't believe it's Monday again. [laugh] But let's make the best of it!"

Kokoro Configuration

These environment variables can be used to set default values for Kokoro synthesis:

• KOKORO_SPEED: Speech speed (float, 0.5-2.0, default: 1.0)
• KOKORO_LANGUAGE: Language code (string, default: "en-us"). Supported: en-us, en-gb, fr-fr, it, ja, cmn
• KOKORO_VOICE: Voice name (string, default: "af_sarah"). See available voices above. Can also use voice blending format like "voice1:weight,voice2:weight"
• KOKORO_MODEL_PATH: Path to kokoro ONNX model file (string, default: "kokoro-v1.0.onnx")
• KOKORO_VOICES_PATH: Path to voices bin file (string, default: "voices-v1.0.bin")
• KOKORO_MAX_CHARACTERS: Maximum number of characters allowed for text input (integer, default: 5000)
• KOKORO_OUTPUT_DIR: Output directory for generated audio files (default: system temp + "local-voice-mcp")
• PYTHON_PATH: Path to Python interpreter (default: "python3")

Example:

# Set default TTS parameters via environment variables
# Reference audio can be anywhere on your system
export CHATTERBOX_REFERENCE_AUDIO="/Users/john/Music/my-voice.wav"
export CHATTERBOX_MAX_CHARACTERS="3000"
export CHATTERBOX_PLAYBACK_VOLUME="75"

# Run the MCP server with these defaults
local-voice-mcp-server

Using with npx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "local-voice-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@codecraftersllc/local-voice-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "CHATTERBOX_REFERENCE_AUDIO": "/Users/john/Music/my-voice.wav",
        "CHATTERBOX_MAX_CHARACTERS": "3000",
        "CHATTERBOX_PLAYBACK_VOLUME": "75"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using male voice instead of bundled female voice:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "local-voice-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@codecraftersllc/local-voice-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "USE_MALE_VOICE": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Priority Order:

1. Options passed to the synthesize_text or play_audio tools (highest priority)
2. Environment variables
3. Built-in defaults (lowest priority)

MCP Client Configuration

Add to your MCP client configuration:

{
  "local-voice-mcp": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "local-voice-mcp-server"],
    "env": {}
  }
}

Testing with Cursor

Cursor is a popular AI-powered code editor that supports MCP. Here's how to test the Local Voice MCP server with Cursor:

1. Install the Package

First, install the package globally or ensure it's available:

npm install -g local-voice-mcp
# or
npm install local-voice-mcp

2. Configure Cursor

Add the MCP server to your Cursor configuration file. The location depends on your operating system:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/globalStorage/cursor.mcp/config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Cursor\User\globalStorage\cursor.mcp\config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Cursor/User/globalStorage/cursor.mcp/config.json

Add this configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "local-voice-mcp": {
      "command": "local-voice-mcp-server",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Or if using npx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "local-voice-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "local-voice-mcp-server"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

3. Restart Cursor

After adding the configuration, restart Cursor to load the MCP server.

4. Test the Integration

Once Cursor is restarted, you can test the TTS functionality:

1. Open Cursor's AI chat

2. Ask Cursor to use the TTS tools:

   Can you synthesize speech for "Hello, this is a test of the local voice MCP server"?
   

3. Check TTS status:

   What's the status of the TTS service?
   

4. Test with paralinguistic tags:

   Synthesize "[sigh] Welcome to the future of AI coding. [laugh] It's going to be amazing!"
   

5. Test audio playback:

   Play the audio file that was just generated
   

6. Test volume control:

   Play the audio file at 25% volume
   

5. Verify the Tools Are Available

You should see the following tools available in Cursor:

• synthesize_text - For text-to-speech conversion
• play_audio - For playing audio files through system audio
• tts_status - For checking service status

6. Troubleshooting

If the MCP server doesn't appear in Cursor:

1. Check the logs: Look for error messages in Cursor's developer console
2. Verify installation: Run local-voice-mcp-server directly in terminal to ensure it works
3. Check paths: Ensure the command path is correct in your configuration
4. Restart Cursor: Sometimes a full restart is needed after configuration changes
5. JSON parsing errors: If you see "Unexpected token" errors, ensure you're using the latest version with proper stdio logging

7. Expected Behavior

When working correctly:

• Cursor will be able to call the TTS tools
• You'll receive structured JSON responses with file paths
• Audio files will be saved to the temporary directory
• The TTS service will use the Chatterbox Turbo TTS engine
• Files can be played using system audio players

All responses are in structured JSON format with clear file paths, making it easy for MCP clients and AI agents to understand and work with the results.

Requirements

• Node.js 16+
• Python 3.10-3.12 (Python 3.13+ not yet supported by mlx-audio dependencies)
• PyTorch (for CUDA/CPU backends)
• For Apple Silicon: pip install mlx-audio
• For CUDA/CPU: pip install chatterbox-tts

Important for Apple Silicon users: The mlx-audio package requires Python <3.13 due to dependency constraints. If your system Python is 3.13+, you'll need to use a conda environment:

# Create a Python 3.11 environment for Chatterbox
conda create -n chatterbox python=3.11
conda activate chatterbox
pip install mlx-audio

# Then set PYTHON_PATH in your MCP config to point to this environment

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "local-voice-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@codecraftersllc/local-voice-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "TTS_ENGINE": "chatterbox",
        "PYTHON_PATH": "/path/to/miniconda3/envs/chatterbox/bin/python"
      }
    }
  }
}

The service automatically detects your hardware and uses the optimal backend:

Platform	Backend	Model
Apple Silicon (via MLX)	MLX	mlx-community/chatterbox-turbo-6bit
NVIDIA GPU (CUDA)	PyTorch	ChatterboxTurboTTS
CPU	PyTorch	ChatterboxTurboTTS (slower)

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐    ┌──────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│   MCP Client    │    │  HTTP Client     │    │   CLI Tool      │
│ (Cursor, etc.)  │    │                  │    │                 │
└─────────┬───────┘    └─────────┬────────┘    └─────────┬───────┘
          │                      │                       │
          │ stdio                │ HTTP                  │ stdio
          │                      │                       │
          ▼                      ▼                       ▼
    ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
    │              Local Voice MCP Server                         │
    │  ┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────────────────────┐ │
    │  │   MCP Server    │    │         HTTP Server             │ │
    │  │   (stdio)       │    │      (Express.js)               │ │
    │  └─────────────────┘    └─────────────────────────────────┘ │
    │                                   │                         │
    │  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
    │  │              TTS Tools & Services                       │ │
    │  │  ┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────────────────┐ │ │
    │  │  │ ChatterboxService│    │    File Management         │ │ │
    │  │  │                 │    │   (Cleanup & Security)     │ │ │
    │  │  └─────────────────┘    └─────────────────────────────┘ │ │
    │  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
    └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                   │
                                   ▼
                        ┌─────────────────────┐
                        │   Python TTS        │
                        │ (Chatterbox Turbo)  │
                        └─────────────────────┘

License

MIT

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests for new functionality
5. Ensure all tests pass
6. Submit a pull request